SYN-5050 Rackmount 2 x 50-watt Tube Amp Review

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I've been using solid state for over a decade now due to my older tube amps constantly in the shop. This is the first rack style power amp I've purchased. Just running my pedals and or modelers through it at the moment and it sounds glorious. Not quite as loud as my solid states but still more than enough for a drummer to hear plus it sounds like glorious tube heaven compared to… read more my old rig. Will update when rack system is complete aka when I have the power conditioner,preamp and modules.

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Great Dynamics

I've been running solid state amps for 30+ years now. Tried tube amps back in the day (Marshalls, Randalls, Carvins, Fenders, Peaveys, etc...) but it seemed as though they always needed to be in the shop for one reason or another. Solid State was my choice for decades... Well, now here's this single rack space, all-tube power amp - I had to try it. Love it!!! Had the first rehearsal… read more with the band last week and everybody could hear the difference. At first I thought it was just me being happy about a new amp; but, no... I heard it too, and they all said how great the entire room sounded! The SYN5050 has way more dynamic response than any other SS or older Tube amp that I have ever played through. Clean, clear, ballsy - every nuance of my picking comes through. I gave it 4 and a half stars because I need to use it more. Really happy with my set-up at the first 3-hour practice. This weekend I will gig it for 4+hours - more on that later! Try it, you'll like it!

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Running tubes....slight noise floor hiss...uber quality high end rig...what to do.....LEHLE!

First off, no bad issue w this amp, my love for Synergy stuff is limitless at this point; I have experienced the same "noise floor hiss" in many amps and while only audible when not playing still there and annoying. Real tubes create more noise floor hiss to be sure, nature of the beast and all that. My present Synergy rig is running 8 total 12AX7s and 4 6L6 tubes so one might… read more presume a bit of hiss, but... So to start off I run Furman power conditioners, all one source power feeds, one path to ground so NO ground loop "hum" issues. This is that annoying "background noise floor hiss" when nothing is playing or often even on. All soldered high end EBS cables, quality Lava feeds to board and to Synergy preamps. Super high end thick speaker cables. Experimenting I just realize that the power amp would get a hiss as soon as you plugged anything into it even with NO signal!! I have seen this before with other power amps and powered speakers. And while it is not a quality or design issue far as I can tell, just seems to be something gear will do. I just saw a keyboard guy on YT frustrated over it as well and could not solve it. So.... SOLUTION.....I got a couple Lehle P Splitters for other uses and noticed they were very high end isolator blocks on the main out. I plugged these into the power amp and my pedalboard feeds into them going to the power amp and presto boys and girls, zero noise, no noise floor hiss at all! So Lehle P-Splitters isolated the main feeds to the power amp and shunt the noise with absolute transparent pass through of signal. Works!!!! I should clarify a NR Noise Gate will not help this problem as it is all the way in regard to the power amp final stage and no way to get a NR clamp onto it and that does not solve a problem merely covers it.....so annoying slight background noise hiss... LEHLE boys and girls!!

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Synergy system just rules!

Just got this core piece for my Synergy rig and it really elevates the preamp modules to another level from my other power amps. Having all tube power with the tube preamps is just a marvelous thing, best rig I have ever had. The ability to buy it piece by piece and expand it as far as you like is just inventive beyond compare. I have two SYN1's with two modules, the Fryette… read more Pitbull and the Bogner Ecstasy with the SYN50/50 power amp. That makes 8 total 12ax7s in the rig with the 4 main 6L6 power tubes. It is remarkably quiet, sometimes you need to NR gate the uber high gain stuff but not an issue really. My other power amp made more hiss floor this one all tubes and more quiet. Suburb design by Fryette, highly inventive 1 rack space special design transformers. Presence and Low end Damping help dial in the proper balance for your cabs. I use two Mesa Engineering twin 12s with Black Shadows, really does well run in stereo split from my Strymon Volante fed from the preamp main out. The 50/50 is a heavy rascal, almost 30lbs, just feels like a quality robust build. Well vented, I leave space in my rack above and below it for better cooling, fan is reasonably quiet. Before you buy into some uber expensive one trick pony amps costing about $4K ea you should give Synergy a try and pick the preamp module for the type of amp that suits you. The range of fantastic cleaner tube channels to upper mega high gain monsters is all here and it is the real deal. Want a new amp, swap a module and bang all new tones. I am so happy with my Synergy rig. Best thing to happen to guitar in a long time!! I only request two things, more detailed manuals and specs are needed for all pieces. I know it is a no reading, dumbed down age but I want to know my impedance issues, how the auto bias works, can you switch tube types and if not , why? Info would be nice they never seem to answer questions. How about some T-shirts, Hats guys, promote SYNERGY for god's sake we need you guys to keep at it, more modules and more products please!

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Best purchase ever

Best purchase ever. All of the amps that I have purchased throughout many years, this one is the best of all. It gives me the flexibility that I've always wanted. I promise you can't go wrong with this wonderful amp. The amp gives you stereo 50 watt and bridged mod It gives you 100 watts. What more could any musician ever want. I never write reviews because the product never lives… read more up to the hype. Not in this case this is just white synergy advertised. However like all other products, the tech departments and their knowledge as well as getting back with you! "is just as poor as all the other tech departments. They don't know their product and they don't have an answer. "They can only read what is written in the manuals". It took me 10 days from the time I received my synergy amplifier before I got a simple answer. Then I still felt as if the answer that was given, had a lot of Doubt. I had to explain to them over and over the operation of the synergy amplifier, trying to teach them about their product. The answer given to me when finally someone got in contact with me for the second time, was completely false. I had to correct the answer for the technician. What a sad amount of knowledge for the products Manufactured and Sold to the consumers. "Again I would like to state my question was a very short and simple question, keep that in mind". Final conclusion the synergy amplifier is the best.

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